Silver Lining Playbook

I just watched the oscar winning performance of Jennifer Lawrence, and I was moved. That's normal the point of movies, to move you. Right?

Well, if you haven't seen the movie, please do. It's great. But this isn't an ad for the movie. What I want to write about is ideas it sparked. Please, if you haven't seen the movie, stop reading this and GO WATCH THE MOVIE!

I was thinking about how in this movie, and like so many others, the main character has something great in front of him, abut he is so caught up in his own goals and agenda that he can't see it.

First, I wonder, what is something great that is in front of me that I just can't see. Is this what it's like for God when he gives us so many great and wonderful gifts, but we just can't see it? Please God, open my eyes so I can see Your Goodness.

Second, it takes the entire movie for him to figure out that Tiffany (his dance partner) is good for him and the "one" for him. Now here is where some of my thoughts get confusing, and I know they do, but remember, I am the one thinking them. So I feel even more confused than you readers. But, back to my point, what if the journey to the discovery that Tiffany is good for him, is what makes the movie so wonderful. What if, in the beginning of the film, when he first saw her, they got together and that was the end. I know it would make for a terrible movie, but I think it also would not be good for their relationship. They wouldn't build into each other's lives. They wouldn't spend those 2 days a week, practicing their dance, or running into each other on their runs, or even getting raisin bran at the diner. Is it the journey of discovering the good that is in front of us so wonderful? Maybe.

Or is it just journeys that we love. Think of Lord of the Rings, it's one big, epic, 9 hour's of cinema, 4 bags of popcorn journey. And yet, it did so well, that the final movie in the series won 11 oscars. It tied for the most oscars a movie won along with Ben-Hur and Titanic...ever. Back to my point, we love journeys. Maybe, what this movie and so many other movies are telling me, is that I need to start appreciating the "journey" I am on.

Maybe that's how my brain will understand my first two points. Maybe its that I need to see the good that's in front of me, which is the wonderful journey I am on with God. This may sound so cliche and cheesy, but maybe that's why so many of us ignore it. We here something like that, and we call it cliche, so we don't have to admit that we were wrong, or maybe admit our mistake, or maybe we are just to lazy to open our eyes to the good in front of us because we enjoy feeling miserable. Whatever it may be, I pray that I will continual try to keep my eyes open to the constant good in my life, be thankful for the journey I am on, and watch more Jennifer Lawrence movies, cause she's great.